IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v151y2018i3d10.1007_s10551-016-3267-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sarbanes–Oxley Section 406 Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers and Firm Behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Saurabh Ahluwalia

    (University of New Mexico)

  • O. C. Ferrell

    (Belmont University)

  • Linda Ferrell

    (Belmont University)

  • Terri L. Rittenburg

    (University of Wyoming)

Abstract

Sarbanes–Oxley Section 406 requires a code of ethics for top financial and accounting officers in public companies. The objective of this research is to discover the impact of a financial code of ethics on firm behavior. We performed a longitudinal tracking of firm adoption of a financial code of ethics starting in 2005. We checked these companies’ codes again in 2011 to confirm their continued implementation. Financial restatements were used as a dependent variable to measure improved financial reporting after the adoption of the financial codes. The results confirm that the adoption of a financial code of ethics improves the integrity of financial reporting.

Suggested Citation

  • Saurabh Ahluwalia & O. C. Ferrell & Linda Ferrell & Terri L. Rittenburg, 2018. "Sarbanes–Oxley Section 406 Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers and Firm Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 151(3), pages 693-705, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:151:y:2018:i:3:d:10.1007_s10551-016-3267-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-016-3267-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10551-016-3267-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-016-3267-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Heather Canary & Marianne Jennings, 2008. "Principles and Influence in Codes of Ethics: A Centering Resonance Analysis Comparing Pre- and Post-Sarbanes-Oxley Codes of Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 80(2), pages 263-278, June.
    2. Cynthia Stohl & Michael Stohl & Lucy Popova, 2009. "A New Generation of Corporate Codes of Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 90(4), pages 607-622, December.
    3. John C. Lere & Bruce R. Gaumnitz, 2007. "Changing Behavior by Improving Codes of Ethics," American Journal of Business, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(2), pages 7-18, October.
    4. Helen Brown-Liburd & Jeffrey Cohen & Greg Trompeter, 2013. "Effects of Earnings Forecasts and Heightened Professional Skepticism on the Outcomes of Client–Auditor Negotiation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 116(2), pages 311-325, August.
    5. Elizabeth Almer & Audrey Gramling & Steven Kaplan, 2008. "Impact of Post-restatement Actions Taken by a Firm on Non-professional Investors’ Credibility Perceptions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 80(1), pages 61-76, June.
    6. Tim Loughran & Bill McDonald & Hayong Yun, 2009. "A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: The Use of Ethics-Related Terms in 10-K Reports," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 89(1), pages 39-49, May.
    7. Lorenzo Patelli & Matteo Pedrini, 2015. "Is Tone at the Top Associated with Financial Reporting Aggressiveness?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 126(1), pages 3-19, January.
    8. Madeline Domino & Stephen Wingreen & James Blanton, 2015. "Social Cognitive Theory: The Antecedents and Effects of Ethical Climate Fit on Organizational Attitudes of Corporate Accounting Professionals—A Reflection of Client Narcissism and Fraud Attitude Risk," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(2), pages 453-467, October.
    9. Palmrose, Zoe-Vonna & Richardson, Vernon J. & Scholz, Susan, 2004. "Determinants of market reactions to restatement announcements," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 59-89, February.
    10. Patrick Erwin, 2011. "Corporate Codes of Conduct: The Effects of Code Content and Quality on Ethical Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 99(4), pages 535-548, April.
    11. Nancy Harp & Mark Myring & Rebecca Shortridge, 2014. "Do Variations in the Strength of Corporate Governance Still Matter? A Comparison of the Pre- and Post-Regulation Environment," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(3), pages 361-373, July.
    12. Lori Holder-Webb & Jeffrey Cohen, 2012. "The Cut and Paste Society: Isomorphism in Codes of Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 107(4), pages 485-509, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Du Jianguo & Rauf Ibrahim & Peter Lartey Yao & Rupa Jaladi Santosh & Amponsah Clinton Kwabena, 2019. "The Effectiveness of Internal Controls in Rural Community Banks: Evidence from Ghana," Business Management and Strategy, Macrothink Institute, vol. 10(1), pages 202-218, December.
    2. Jaehong Lee & Young Soo Yang, 2019. "International Strategy, R&D Intensity, and Sustainable Earnings of Biotech Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-17, September.
    3. Yusheng Kong & Peter Yao Lartey & Fatoumata Binta Maci Bah & Nirmalya B. Biswas, 2018. "The Value of Public Sector Risk Management: An Empirical Assessment of Ghana," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-18, July.
    4. Melvin A. Lamboy-Ruiz & James N. Cannon & Olena V. Watanabe, 2019. "Does State Community Benefits Regulation Influence Charity Care and Operational Efficiency in U.S. Non-profit Hospitals?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(2), pages 441-465, August.
    5. Tae Hyung Kim & Bowon Kim, 2018. "Firm’s Environmental Expenditure, R&D Intensity, and Profitability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-12, June.
    6. repec:mth:ijafr8:v:9:y:2019:i:1:p:15-37 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Pamela Brandes & Ravi Dharwadkar & Jonathan F. Ross & Linna Shi, 2022. "Time is of the Essence!: Retired Independent Directors’ Contributions to Board Effectiveness," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 179(3), pages 767-793, September.
    8. O. C. Ferrell, 2017. "Broadening marketing’s contribution to data privacy," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 160-163, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Maira Babri & Bruce Davidson & Sven Helin, 2021. "An Updated Inquiry into the Study of Corporate Codes of Ethics: 2005–2016," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 168(1), pages 71-108, January.
    2. Ronald J. Balvers & John F. Gaski & Bill McDonald, 2016. "Financial Disclosure and Customer Satisfaction: Do Companies Talking the Talk Actually Walk the Walk?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 139(1), pages 29-45, November.
    3. Sarah Vandenbroucke & Jaroslaw Kantorowicz & Yvonne Erkens, 2024. "Decoding supplier codes of conduct with content and text as data approaches," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(1), pages 472-492, January.
    4. Michael S. McLeod & G. Tyge Payne & Robert E. Evert, 2016. "Organizational Ethics Research: A Systematic Review of Methods and Analytical Techniques," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(3), pages 429-443, March.
    5. Jana Kozáková & Mária Urbánová & Radovan Savov, 2021. "Factors Influencing the Extent of the Ethical Codes: Evidence from Slovakia," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-18, January.
    6. Frerich Buchholz & Kerstin Lopatta & Karen Maas, 2020. "The Deliberate Engagement of Narcissistic CEOs in Earnings Management," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 167(4), pages 663-686, December.
    7. Joseph McKinney & Tisha Emerson & Mitchell Neubert, 2010. "The Effects of Ethical Codes on Ethical Perceptions of Actions Toward Stakeholders," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 97(4), pages 505-516, December.
    8. Lerong He & Rong Yang, 2014. "Does Industry Regulation Matter? New Evidence on Audit Committees and Earnings Management," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 123(4), pages 573-589, September.
    9. Anna M. Cianci & Shana M. Clor-Proell & Steven E. Kaplan, 2019. "How Do Investors Respond to Restatements? Repairing Trust Through Managerial Reputation and the Announcement of Corrective Actions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(2), pages 297-312, August.
    10. Robert Audi & Tim Loughran & Bill McDonald, 2016. "Trust, but Verify: MD&A Language and the Role of Trust in Corporate Culture," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 139(3), pages 551-561, December.
    11. Giovanni Garegnani & Emilia Merlotti & Angeloantonio Russo, 2015. "Scoring Firms’ Codes of Ethics: An Explorative Study of Quality Drivers," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 126(4), pages 541-557, February.
    12. Lerong He & Rong Yang & Yuanlong He, 2018. "Does social exchange relationship impair audit committee effectiveness?," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 22(2), pages 219-249, June.
    13. William D. Brink & Jonathan H. Grenier & Jonathan S. Pyzoha & Andrew Reffett, 2019. "The Effects of Clawbacks on Auditors’ Propensity to Propose Restatements and Risk Assessments," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(2), pages 313-332, August.
    14. Rosa Chun, 2019. "How Virtuous Global Firms Say They Are: A Content Analysis of Ethical Values," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(1), pages 57-73, March.
    15. David F. Larcker & Anastasia A. Zakolyukina, 2012. "Detecting Deceptive Discussions in Conference Calls," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(2), pages 495-540, May.
    16. Jo-Ting Wei, 2021. "Financial Reporting Material Misstatements, Earnings Conservatism and Managerial Replacement Decisions," International Journal of Business and Economic Sciences Applied Research (IJBESAR), International Hellenic University (IHU), Kavala Campus, Greece (formerly Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Institute of Technology - EMaTTech), vol. 14(1), pages 7-21, June.
    17. Yuri Gorbaneff & Elsa Margarita Uribe & Guillermo Hoyos, 2012. "Los códigos de conducta de las empresas petroleras en Colombia: Una caracterización," Revista de Economía Institucional, Universidad Externado de Colombia - Facultad de Economía, vol. 14(27), pages 193-205, July-Dece.
    18. Martin J. Conyon & Lerong He, 2016. "Executive Compensation and Corporate Fraud in China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(4), pages 669-691, April.
    19. Virginia Bodolica & Martin Spraggon, 2015. "An Examination into the Disclosure, Structure, and Contents of Ethical Codes in Publicly Listed Acquiring Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 126(3), pages 459-472, February.
    20. Evan Peterson, 2013. "Compliance and ethics programs: competitive advantage through the law," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 17(4), pages 1027-1045, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:151:y:2018:i:3:d:10.1007_s10551-016-3267-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.